Take-down rack-type metal shelves



Sept. 14, 1965 VINCENS TAKE-DOWN RACK-TYPE METAL SHELVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1962 Sept. 14, 1965 R. VINCENS 3,205,840

TAKE-DOWN RACK-TYPE METAL SHELVES Filed June 1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States. Patent 3,205,840 TAKE-DOWN RACK-TYPE METAL SHELVES Ren Vincens, Martin Eglise Pres Dieppe, France, assignor to Societe Civile de Recherches & dEtudes Industrielles, N enville-les-Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), France Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,403 Claims priority, application France, June 1, 1961, 863,603, Patent 1,196,168 4 Claims. (Cl. 108107) This invention relates to a take-down metal shelf structure comprising two lateral frames or panels each comprising U-sectioned registering vertical channels formed by bending twice at right angles the edges of the frame 01 panels, a pair of upper and lower cross members consisting of U-sectioned or channel elments secured at their ends by means of lugs on rack-forming channels extending at right angles to said cross members and so shaped and dimensioned as to permit their force fitting in said panel channels, shelves consisting of trays or plates, having their edges bent at right angles and forming a channel receiving at the corners locking devices adapted to permit their proper positioning on the frame structure by engaging locking devices into the racks of the vertical uprights.

In its dismantled condition the over-all dimensions of this structure correspond to those of said lateral panels, shelves and bracing members forming a frame with said racks.

The assembly operation, particularly simple and requiring no fixation member, consists in fitting the racks into the upright channels; the rigidity of the assembly and the fastening of the shelves are obtained by means of collapsible locking devices.

The horizontal cross members and bracing members of the structure are secured at either end by channelsectioned lugs with only one rack length, the complementary rack length being secured permanently in the central portion of the upright channels, suitable lugs constituting the extension of each rack solid with a cross member to joint this rack element end to end with the element rigid with the upright.

Each shelf locking means housed in the channel portions of the shelf consists of a blade bent on itself with a gripping finger having one side adapted resiliently to engage catches formed in the lower side of the marginal portion of the shelf; these catches correspond to the retracted, preset and operative position of the locking device respectively.

Other details of this invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical embodiment of the shelf structure constituting the subjectmatter of this invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the relative position of the component elements of the shelf during the assembly thereof; and

FIGURES 2 and 3 are detail views showing the locking device of the shelf trays.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shelf structure according to this invention comprises two registering identical rectangular lateral frames each consisting of a pair of vertical registering channeled uprights 61, 62 assembled by means of cross pieces 63 and provided at their ends with lugs 9. Each shelf structure is completed by horizontal cross members 11.

Each of the cross members 11 comprises a transverse element 4-0 of channel cross-section and rack elements 17 rigidly fixed at opposite ends of the element 40 and perpendicular thereto. The cross members 11 are assembled with the channeled uprights 61, 62 by pressing Patented Sept. 14, 1965 the rack elements 17 into end portions of the upright channels in which they are a press fit. The rack elements 17 are cut to a predetermined length so as to butt end-to-end with rack elements which are secured in central portions of the channeled uprights 61 and 62. Lugs 64 welded on the end portions of the channelshaped rack elements 17 are received in the opposite ends of the intermediate rack elements 65 to provide an interlocking of the rack elements.

The drawings show clearly the manner in which the upper cross member 11 and its rack elements 17 are about to be positioned on the uprights 61 and 62 by resilient engagement of the rack elements 17 in the upright to constitute extensions of the fixed rack elements 65, the lugs 64 acting as guide members and permitting the continuity of the rack.

With this arrangement it is possible to reduce the over-all dimensions of the hitherto known structure in which the cross-members 11 were provided with racks 17 extending throughout the height of frames 61, 62 or panels 1, 2 of the complete structure.

The locking device 28 for supporting the shelf trays 21 while preserving the necessary rigidity of the assembly consists essentially of a V-shaped bent blade 66 of resilient material which is slidably retained in the channel resulting from the double bending of the marginal portion 22 of the shelf. The blade 66 is a width to fit in the channel between the shelf and marginal portion 22. One leg 66a of the blade slidably engages the bottom 67 of the channel while a second leg 66b resiliently engages one or more catches 70, 71 and 72 formed by small protuberance struck from the marginal portion 22 of the shelf. A nose portion 66c of the locking device is adapted to project out through an opening in the channel and is preferably offset from the leg portion 66a as seen in FIG. 3. At the end of leg portion 66b, a tab portion 68 is bent outwardly at approximately right angles to provide a finger grip for sliding the blade 66 in the channel. The tab 68 is of reduced width and forms a shoulder 69 adapted to engage between the catches 70, 71, 72 to hold the blade in a retracted position or in a locking position in which the nose portion 66c projects outwardly as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to engage in a selected opening in one of the rack elements 17, 65 to hold the shelf in selected position. The shoulder 69 is releasable from the catches 70, 71, 72 by pushing inwardly on the finger tab 68 whereupon the blade can be slid from one position to another, or completely released by sliding the blade to the left as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3.

What I claim is:

1. In a shelf structure, a plurality of spaced vertical shelf-supporting members having vertically spaced recesses therein, a shelf fitting between said members and having a marginal portion bent twice at right angles to form a U-shaped channel defined by a vertical peripheral wall and adjacent horizontal walls, locking devices for securing said shelf in selected position on said supporting members, each locking device comprising a flexible elastic blade having a width slightly less than the distance between said horizontal walls of said channel and bent back on itself in the form of a V with a nose portion formed by the point of said V, a first leg portion slidably engaging said vertical wall of said channel and a second leg portion having at its end an outwardly bent tab portion projecting away from said vertical wall of the channel and of less Width than the said branches and a plurality of catches formed by stamped out portions in at least one of said horizontal walls of said channel, said catches being spaced from said vertical wall of said channel and slidably retaining said locking device between said catches and said vertical wall of said channel for sliding movement between a locking position in which said nose portion projects beyond said shelf and into a said recess in an adjacent supporting member and a retracted position.

2. A structure according to claim 1, in which a base portion of said tab portion is wider than the projecting portion of said tab to define a shoulder engageable with said catches to hold said locking device selectively in locking and retracted position respectively.

3. In a shelf structure, a plurality of spaced vertical shelf-supporting members having vertically spaced recesses therein, a rectangular shelf fitting between said members and having marginal portions bent downwardly and then inwardly to form a peripheral U-shaped channel defined by a vertical peripheral wall and said inwardly bent portion, locking devices for securing said shelf in selected position on said supporting members, each of said locking devices comprising a flexible elastic blade having a width slightly less than the depth of said channel and bent back on itself in the form of a V with a nose portion formed by the point of said V, a first leg portion slidably engaging said vertical wall of said channel adjacent a corner of said shelf with said nose portion toward said corner and a second leg portion having at its end an outwardly bent tab portion projecting away from said vertical wall of the channel and having an outer portion of reduced width to form a shoulder, and retaining means projecting into said channel for slidably retaining said locking device between said retaining means and said vertical wall of the channel for sliding movement between a retracted position and a locking position in which said nose portion projects through an opening in said channel and into a said recess in an adjacent supporting member to support said shelf.

4. A structure according to claim 3, in which said retaining means comprises three spaced protuberances formed by inwardly stamped portions of said inwardly bent marginal portion, said shoulder on said locking device being releasably engageable with said protuberances to hold said locking device in said retracted and locking positions and said second leg being flexible inwardly to release said locking device for sliding movement from one said position to another.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,126,094 1/15 Schafiert 108107 1,411,260 4/22 Baker et al 108-107 1,750,696 3/30 Vance 108-l07 2,639,043 5/53 Dumharn 108107 2,909,289 10/59 Laurie l08-107 2,925,920 2/60 Skubic 108-407 2,935,210 5/60 Cohen 108106 3,081,717 3/63 Yurevich 108107 FOREIGN PATENTS 563,958 1/58 Belgium.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SHELF STRUCTURE, A PLURALITY OF SPACED VERTICAL SHELF-SUPPORTING MEMBERS HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED RECESSES THEREIN, A SHELF FITTING BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS AND HAVING A MARGINAL PORTION BENT TWICE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO FORM A U-SHAPED CHNNEL DEIFFNED BY A VERTICAL PERIPHERAL WALL AND ADJACENT HORIZONTAL WALLS, LOCKING DEVICED FOR SECURING SAID SHELF IN SELECTED POSITION ON SAID SUPPORTING MEMBERS, EACH LOCKING DEVICE COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE ELASTIC BALDE HAVING A WIDTH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID HORIZONTAL WALLS OF SAID CHANNEL AND BENT BACK OF ITSELF IN THE FORM OF A V WITH A NOSE PORTION FORMED BY THE POINT OF SAID V, A FIRST LEG PORTION SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID VERTICAL WALL OF SAID CHANNEL AND A SECOND LEG PORTION HAVING AT ITS END AN OUTWARDLY BENT TAB PORTION PROJECTING AWAY FROM SAID VERTICAL WALL OF THE CHANNEL AND OF LESS WIDTH THAN THE SAID BRANCHES AND A PLURALITY OF CATCHES FORMED BY STAMPED OUT PORTIONS IN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HORIZONTAL WALLS OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID CATCHES BEING SPACED FROM SAID VERTICAL WALL OF SAID CHANNEL AND SLIDABLY RETAINING SAID LOCKING DEVICE BETWEEN SAID CATCHES AND SAID VERTICAL WALL OF SAID CHANNEL FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LOCKING POSITION IN WHICH SAID NOSE PORTION PROJECTS BEYOND SAID SHELF AND INTO A SAID RECESS IN AN ADJACENT SUPPORTING MEMBER AND A RETRACTED POSITION. 